Hunter: The Reckoning Wayward – PS2 – Review

It’s not easy to translate
a pen and paper role-playing classic to a video game format, but Hunter: The
Reckoning on the Xbox surprised gamers with its addictive Gauntlet-styled action
and interesting supernatural story.  While the game found itself on GameCube as
well, PS2 gamers didn’t get a chance to experience The Reckoning–that is, until
now.  Hunter: The Reckoning Wayward, a sequel to the original, is the perfect
introduction to the series but does it translate well to the PS2? 

The original game placed
four very different characters in the small city of Ashcroft that has been
infested by a great evil during the eve of the execution of a death row inmate
named Nathaniel Arkady, filling the city with zombies and other monsters.   Yet
the threat was stopped by these four heroes who have become Hunters and saviors
of all that is good. Two years later, two Wayward Hunters go missing in Ashcroft
and it is up to Deuce, Samantha, Kassandra and Father Cortez to find them and
stop the invasion from starting anew.

From the very start of the
game, you are given a choice of which of the four Hunters to play as even though
you can switch characters in any of the two Hunter bases.  Samantha relies on
her speed as well as her katana sword and powerful revolver while Deuce relies
on his strength as well as his heavy battle-axe and his pump action shotgun.
Kassandra is the acrobatic one who carries twin blades as well as twin pistols
and Father Cortez uses divine spells as well as his trusty crossbow and crusader
sword.  Each character has his or her weaknesses but some characters are better
suited for specific levels than others.

Control-wise, Wayward is
as smooth as a baby’s bottom when it comes to executing each action.  The PS2
controller seems better suited to the actions than the Xbox game and it’s easy
to switch weapons on the fly when needed most.  Trust me, this is a good thing
since the game continuously throws enemies (such as zombies, creepy exploding
spider creatures and powerful hulking monstrosities) at you in waves.
Thankfully you can jump or strafe out of a situation and you can even aim using
the right analog stick.  Your Edge ability allows your character to increase his
or her strength when it’s best needed most and, thanks to the many pick-ups and
glyphs (for health, extra strength or information) scattered throughout the game
(such as extra guns), you can certainly hold your own pretty well.

While the controls are
ultra smooth, the framerate isn’t and you’ll notice a few stutters and slowdowns
especially when the game throws way too many enemies than usual.  Still, it
really doesn’t get bad enough that it distracts from the rest of the game.  Yet
I do have one major complaint and that is that the four-player option is now a
two-player affair and thus keeping it from being a cool party game.  Still, the
extra goodies to unlock (earned many ways including by rescuing X amount of
innocents) and special features you can check out in your Hunter base more than
makes up for this.

The PS2 certainly can’t
compete with the Xbox in terms of graphical power, but the visuals in Wayward
are actually not bad at all considering the fact that so many things can happen
on the screen at once.  The environments are rendered decently enough but it’s
the characters that look great in the middle of a frenzied attack.  Yet it’s the
game’s special effects that are the noticeable attraction (Father Cortez has
some pretty flashy spells that light up the ground around him).

The sound effects
certainly win big points here since it is truly creepy enough to rival that of
the Resident Evil games.  Nothing is more chilling than hearing the wailing of
unseen creatures hidden somewhere in the darkness or the empty echo of an
abandoned building.  Your firearms produce a sharp and loud retort and slicing
through the hordes of monsters sounds sickeningly real.  The score is creepy
during moments of calmness and then turns chaotic in time with enemy attacks.

Hunter: The Reckoning
Wayward is more than just a satisfying old-school hacking, slashing and shooting
action game, it’s an involving game with plenty to offer action junkies.  Never
mind the occasional framerate slowdowns and the lack of a four-player option,
Wayward has too many good things going for it.  If you’re new to the series, the
game will certainly be a pleasant surprise.  If you’re a fan since the Xbox
game, this one will remind you of what made you a fan in the first place.

#Reviewer’s Scoring Details

Gameplay: 8.7
Compared to the Xbox original,
Wayward certainly translates well on the PS2.  The control scheme is actually
simplistic and easy to get into since actions like Edge or jump has been
assigned by default to the L1 and L2 buttons respectively.  Each character also
handles situations differently and mastering their fighting techniques is a
joy.  There are also a few tasks that keep the game from being a simple
button-mashing repetitive experience like the mission that has you escorting an
ally to safety.

Graphics: 8.0
Visually, Wayward looks more than
decent when it comes to displaying the massive environments that are detailed
nicely enough to give you the impression you’re in a city that’s been damned.
You’ll find all the usual things such as abandoned vehicles and emptied stores.
What the game does excel in is the ability to fill the screen with its gruesome
monstrosities and dazzle with great special effects.  Watching the undead turn
into dust is just plain awesome.

Sound: 8.2
The game’s sound, on the other hand,
is wonderfully detailed down to the sounds of spent bullet castings dropping on
pavement or the sounds of the wind through the abandoned streets as monsters
groan in the distance.  There’s also a soundtrack that’s pretty good at setting
the mood during appropriate times throughout the game.  The voice acting during
the game’s cut scenes are also nicely done.

Difficulty: Hard
The Hunter: Reckoning games have
always been about throwing you into the lion’s den with dozens of hungry lions
ready to rip you to shreds all at once.  If you’re playing this one solo–even
in the game’s normal setting–you’ll find yourself getting slaughtered more than
a few times . . . especially when you go up against bosses or the more hulk-like
monsters.  The game includes a Nightmare mode, the game’s most difficult
setting, but only experienced gamers should consider playing the game with this
mode.

Concept: 8.2
Those gamers that experienced the
game’s first outing on the Xbox will feel a strong sense of deja vu since the
same location is used yet again.  Yet there are more things to do this time
around and there are plenty of hidden goodies that are just waiting to be
discovered while playing the game.  There are enough extras to unlock in this
game, thus adding more to the replay value.

Multiplayer: 7.0
Alas, the four-player multiplayer
action has been reduced to a two-player deal and this will not sit well with
those gamers that got to play the original Xbox game.  Hunter: The Reckoning is
one of those games that feels great playing with four other friends, especially
when the game in question piles on the enemies in seemingly non-stop waves.  To
make matters worse, you’ll occasionally find a few hiccups and stutters when
playing with a second player.  I guess it’s an unexpected blessing that a
four-player deal was included.

Overall: 8.3
Once again, fans of Hunter: The
Reckoning will gladly take up the call and declare open season on the forces of
evil.  Wayward is a truly entertaining and addictive gruesome action game and a
perfect sequel to the original.  Gamers will be more likely to forgive the
sporadic slowdowns and the lack of a four-player option due to its interesting
story, great characters and arcade-styled action.  I highly recommend you try
this one out.